*Since this is the day before Thanksgiving, when so many people in the United States will be consuming so many Thanksgiving dinners that there is bound to be an increase in the number of people who will suffer from choking on their food, I think that this is the perfect day to review The Heimlich Maneuver and how it can be used to help people who are in fact choking on their food...before they choke to death.
The Heimlich Maneuver
1. After making certain that the obstruction that is causing the choking cannot be more effectively removed, ask the victim to stand.
2. Position yourself behind the standing victim.
3. Place your arms around the victims waist.
4. Make a fist with one hand and then place the thumb of that fist toward the victim, just above the victim's belly button.
5. Grab your fist with your other hand.
6. Deliver five upward squeezes/thrusts to the victim's abdomen, and then if the problem persists, deliver five more, and then five more...until the obstruction has been cleared.
Note: Make each squeeze/thrust strong enough to dislodge the obstruction.
Note: To avoid breaking bones, never deliver squeezes/thrusts to the the victim's breastbone or lower rib cage.
Note: Keep a firm grip on the victim while performing this maneuver, in case the victim loses consciousness and begins to fall.
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